Headquarters

Purpose

Chronological information

First appearance

Last Appearance

The Bhanti Tribe consists of a group of sages who live in a village located on Bhanti Island in the southern Fire Nation. The tribe, which predates the first Avatar, Wan, has strong spiritual connections and serves as the origin of spiritual sages in the four nations. Although the tribe is isolated from the rest of the world, its members are aware of many current events with which they choose not to involve themselves.[2]

Contents

History

During the era of Raava sometime around 9,832 BG, the Bhanti Tribe developed and settled on an island located in the Spirit Wilds, which would eventually become part of the southern portion of the Fire Nation archipelago. After some time, several members of the tribe ventured from the island and into the other nations, where they became sages.[2]

In 171 AG, sages from the island came upon Korra washed up on shore, with no recollection of who she was. Alarmed by this discovery, the tribe members rushed the young Avatar to the village temple in order to be examined by the elderly shaman. Attributing Korra's amnesia to a dark spirit feeding on the Avatar Spirit, the shaman ordered the sages to lower Korra into a pool of spirit water in an attempt to purge her body of the possession.[3]

After cleansing her body and reconnecting with her past lives, Korra awoke with most of her memories intact and proceeded to walk through the temple grounds with the shaman, who presented Korra with a flying bison from a herd that the tribe had been maintaining since the Hundred Year War. Though the elder did not know how long Korra had been away from Republic City, she warned the Avatar that there was little time to waste, as Harmonic Convergence was only weeks away.[4]

Bhanti Village Temple

Much like the village itself, the Bhanti Village Temple has strong spiritual roots predating the Avatar.

The Bhanti Village Temple is a sanctuary where the shaman and other members of the Bhanti Tribe take residence.[2]

The temple is comprised of a number of stone pagodas, one of which enshrines a seated golden statue flanked by two guardian figures, with a number of smaller outbuildings surrounding the grounds.[5] Located directly underneath the temple is a cavern with a subterranean pool filled with spirit water. A pulley system is used to lower individuals into the waters for spiritual healing.

A small yard located within the temple grounds also houses a small herd of flying bison that the Bhanti have been caring for ever since the Hundred Year War.[4]

Appearances

The Legend of Korra

Book Two: Spirits (神靈)

Trivia

The temple's architecture is comparable to that of the Pagan temples in the Mandalay region of Burma. The golden statue is based on southeast Asian figures of the Buddha in the "earth-witness" posture, though the right hand is in the wrong position.

In the original draft, the shaman used the waters from a subterranean volcanic hot spring instead of a pool of spirit water in order to allow Korra to recall the origin of the Avatar.[2]